Playing contemporary music largely based on ancient, sacred Hebrew poems, Toronto-based Jaffa Road formed in 2005 and shares their name with the ancient Middle Eastern route that connected the port city of Jaffa to Jerusalem in Israel. Just as the highway forged bonds between Arabs and Jews and encouraged peaceful multicultural coexistence, Jaffa Road the band is striving for a powerful world music sound with inspirational messages of hope for more peaceful relations in the Middle East. Nominated for Juno awards in world music, Jaffa Road released SunPlace (2009) and Where the Light Gets In (2012). Now, in 2021, Until When continues to show that they are a visionary band that’s motivated with a mission.

Music has the power to effect change and make the world a better place. Jaffa Road's third studio album features eight songs, each spanning 4-6 minutes, layered with contemporary North African, Arabic, Indian classical, jazz, funk, rock, electronic and dub influences. But the foundational cornerstone of their music is traditional Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish music, some of it centuries old. The diverse ensemble of talented intercultural music interpreters includes Aaron Lightstone (guitars, oud, synthesizers, vocals), Justin Gray (bass, bass veena, vocals), Sundar Viswanathan (saxophones, bansuri, vocals), Rakesh Tewari (drums, percussion). Tamar Ilana sings most of the lead vocals, although guest singers David Wall and Aviva Chernick are featured on “Ben Adam” and “Hear My Sound,” respectively. On a few tracks, Until When also features guest artists Shawn Rompre (electronic percussion, samples), Joel Visentin (keyboards) and Ed Hanley (tabla, percussion).

Made possible by funding of FACTOR, The Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and Toronto Arts Council, Until When is a musical mashup that not only taps one’s Jewish heritage but also allows individual band members a chance to explore their diverse backgrounds in jazz, rock, pop and classical Indian music. The expressive result has a synergistic effect that yields bountiful rewards. There are enchanting numbers with relaxing grooves (“Until When” and “Dror Yikrah”), new original music for centuries-old lyrics (“Ya'ala Ya'ala”), expressions of love (“Yonati Ziv Yifatech”) and Jaffa Road’s own invention of a danceable Niggun (“Wordless Melody”) for the 21^st century.      

Sung in English, “If I Ran from You” speaks of adventures that result in beautiful nostalgic remembrances of one’s love from the voice of talking drums, scent off salted winds, touch in blades of grass, shape in whirling djinns, and taste of kisses in banana leaves.  Closing with “Hear My Sound,” English lyrics (by Aaron and Heidi Lightstone) could be a blessing, prayer or call for emergence and resurrection. Regardless, the song is a spiritual invitation to check out the resonant, inspirational, clarion music of Jaffa Road. (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)